Myoelectric signal compression using zero-trees of wavelet coefficients

Recent progress in the diagnostic use of the myoelectric signal for neuromuscular diseases, coupled with increasing interests in telemedicine applications, mandate the need for an effective compression technique. The efficacy of the embedded zero-tree wavelet compression algorithm is examined with respect to some important analysis parameters (the length of the analysis segment and wavelet type) and measurement conditions (muscle type and contraction type). It is shown that compression performance improves with segment length, and that good choices of wavelet type include the Meyer wavelet and the fifth order biorthogonal wavelet. The effects of different muscle sites and contraction types on compression performance are less conclusive. A comparison of a number of lossy compression techniques has revealed that the EZW algorithm exhibits superior performance to a hard thresholding wavelet approach, but falls short of adaptive differential pulse code modulation. The bit prioritization capability of the EZW algorithm allows one to specify the compression factor online, making it an appealing technique for streaming data applications, as often encountered in telemedicine.